If Reyes does not make the Opening Day roster — or is removed from the roster at any point this season — he will be offered back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who left him unprotected in the draft.

The decision has become even more complicated with the way JaCoby Jones has played this spring. In another impressive outing at the plate on Tuesday afternoon against the Yankees, Jones laid off a full-count slider from CC Sabathia to draw a walk. Then, he lined a full-count fastball from Aroldis Chapman for a single and stole second base. In the top of the ninth inning, Jones singled again and Reyes singled him home.

One thing the Tigers have with Jones that they don’t have with Reyes is flexibility. Jones has one minor league option remaining, meaning he can optioned at any point this season without having to clear waivers.

“With the No. 1 pick like that, they’ve put some stock into (Reyes) and so that’s the point,” Gardenhire said. “I think we really gotta look at it and make sure we understand what we have here and where we’re going because there’s been conversations, there’s been good conversations, and there’s going to be more.”

Reyes, 23, is a lanky outfielder with good athleticism. The Tigers were enamored enough with his hitting ability to ask for him as part of the J.D. Martinez trade in July. Arizona declined but thought enough of him to send him to the Arizona Fall League, which consists of many of baseball's elite minor leaguers. The league turned into an eventual showcase when the Diamondbacks did not protect Reyes from the Rule 5 Draft.

Reyes is hitting .206 this spring. He hasn't wowed the Tigers with his ability, and he has yet to advance past Double-A. In a perfect world, the Tigers would get him through this season on the active roster and then send him to Triple-A Toledo next season for more development.

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Mar 13, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Leonys Martin celebrates with third base coach Dave Clark after hitting a home run during the third inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Butch Dill, USA TODAY Sports

Mar 13, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Leonys Martin rounds first base after hitting a home run during the third inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Butch Dill, USA TODAY Sports

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“I think he’s been great,” Gardenhire said. “He hasn’t been overwhelmed at all; he’s fit right in. So there’s a lot of pluses. We’re not facing Major League pitchers for six or seven innings, so will he be able to stack up against some of the better pitchers? Not many guys do. So, to be honest, we’re just, this is a thing that we’re really, really looking at hard here. I like the guy. Whether we can do that, or whether we should do that, we know where we’re going as an organization and he fits the mold. A young player that can do some things, is talented, there’s a reason why we picked him so all those are going to go into consideration.”

What was key about Gardenhire’s comments on Reyes was, “we know where we’re going as an organization.” The Tigers are rebuilding, so losing a promising young prospect like Reyes in order to keep Jones — a more polished player at this point — might not be worthwhile.

The Tigers also are weighing the impact on Reyes’ development.

“That’s it,” Gardenhire said. “Is it going to be worth it or are we just going to waste a season for a guy?”

And Gardenhire seemed to answer his own question: “It looked that I could use him. I know where we’re at as an organization. We’re talking about developing and all those things so I think I can use him. That’s their conversations: How much will we use him? I think we will. I think we got guys that are going to need days and we can mix and match a little bit. He can play the outfield. He can play them all out there.”

And so the conversations will continue, likely until camp breaks two weeks from now, with Jones doing all he can to make the Opening Day roster for the second consecutive season and the Tigers deciding if they're willing to lose a young prospect they have invested in.